I suppose box stores get a bad rap sometimes, especially in areas where there are lots of stores and a big turnover in staff. In my county in Texas, there is one Walmart, one TSC, and one Lowes. The next closest stores are over 30 miles away in other counties. The Walmart, Lowes, and TSC are located in an adjoining parking lot, giving you the ability to drive from store-to-store without driving back onto the street/highway. Approximately 6 restaurants also dot the outer regions of these very large parking areas as do several small specialty stores. This IS the shopping universe of our county.
In addition to the more expensive items I bought at Lowes on my shopping trip, I also picked up three Rainbird impulse sprinklers, Model P5-R Plus. These are plastic impulse sprinkler heads that I can use to replace worn/non-working heads on several good sprinkler bases. Before going to Lowes, I
checked Amazon and did an online search to get an idea of good prices. Amazon's price was $9.55 with free shipping if I bought three sprinkler heads. Other prices on one of the search sites turned up prices as low as $8.50 for the same sprinkler. Imagine my surprise when I checked Lowes and found their price to be $6.17 each. With my discount, that got me the sprinkler heads for $5.55 each or exactly a $4 savings over Amazon.
I only tell this story to demonstrate what we all know. It is wrong to assume you will get the best price when shopping any one source. You have to be a smart shopper. Sometimes online shopping is a bargain, but many times it is not. Do your homework and know what you are looking for is my advice. In my case, it is wonderful to have these stores nearby. Some stores in different locations have their problems, but the stores in my area save me time, travel, and real money in many instances. Sure, there are plenty of times I think their stock levels or quality may suffer, but overall I think our county is far better off for having them than not.:thumbsup:
